Posts Tagged ‘how can i help?’

Is is easy to volunteer? How much of a difference can you make in an hour or two? Is it worthwhile?

These are all questions that Carlos, a local radio host with 91.5 The Beat, decided to answer. As we mentioned previously (here) he is out in the community doing a different volunteer job with a different agency each day for 30 days. This last Saturday was day Deed 23 and he was helping the House of Friendship distribute turkeys

Today is day 10 of our 12Days campaign. Tomorrow is the final day of turkey distribution and by that time the last of the Christmas Hamper should be safely stashed away in people’s cupboards. As of this morning, the final count for Christmas Hampers is 4081! The 600+ volunteers who have helped accomplish this amazing record have touched the lives of thousands of people. As Carlos demonstrates, you can make a big difference to someone in the space of an hour or two. This is something that people never forget.

Have you decided to volunteer yet? Let us know! Comment, tweet @HOFKW or post on our facebook wall.

Work at the Christmas Hamper warehouse is quiet for the weekend. As we start day 9 of the 12day campaign, we can pause to reflect on the frantic week that has just come to a close.

The need for Christmas Hampers has never been this great. As of Friday, over 4000 hampers had been assembled by our team of volunteers. They officially wrapped up their efforts on the assembly line with several rounds of applause for the amazing feat they had just completed. More than 3700 hampers had been hand delivered by countless volunteers. After a pause for Saturday and today, the remaining three or four hundred hampers will be delivered on Monday and Tuesday.

Do you remember Oscar? By 2pm Friday afternoon he had dropped of his 125th Christmas Hamper delivery. Was he stopping there? No! His plan is to continue to deliver until the very end. After pausing to consider, he told me, “oh, I’ll probably get up to 145. We’ll see. It’s something that I really enjoy… why not?”

Where do you fit in? Well, there are still lots of little things you can do to make the region a nicer place. You don’t have to commit as much time as Oscar has, something as small as going out of your way to say hello to a neighbour or complete stranger can make a difference. Or even taking an minute out of your day to ask if someone needs help if they seem lost can change a persons day. Do you hold the door open for the parents with their stroller and little ones trying to get into the grocery store when you’re running errands? It’s the little things that help add up to a big change.

One thing that we all struggle with is time. It’s hard to volunteer if you’re short on time. I have a job, family and other obligations to meet – how can I volunteer? Just this week we saw an example of someone putting their skills to use to volunteer, indirectly, at the House of Friendship’s Men’s Hostel.

A place for Rooks and Kings to make new friends.

Using his skills and time someone who needed to complete some community service hours made this chess table for the residents of the Men’s Hostel. John, pictured above, said of the table: “this beautiful table…will be a place where friendships and meaningful conversations will take place.”

Give it some thought. Are there things that you like to do that might benefit others if you shared them? Sharing them can make a difference to someone. As we begin the final stretch of our 12days campaign, let us know what hobbies, skills or interests you think might benefit others. Find us on Facebook, twitter and comment in the space below. We’d love to hear from you.